As managing director of specialist consultancy Graduate Success, Simon Reichwald had always felt that more needed to be done to prepare graduate students for the world of work. Now that he's also responsible for managing the not-for-profit national student network Bright Futures (previously the Student Industrial Society), he says he can work with students to develop key transferable skills "on a much larger scale" and make it easier for graduate recruiters to engage with "work-ready" potential employees.

The 32-year-old organisation was re-branded in April to invigorate the collaboration between work-focused students and industry (corporate members pay to interact with students and promote their organisation). It's run on-campus by student societies (backed-up by a national team) and the new website—which was designed with sites like Myspace and Facebook in mind—enables members to network nationally using blogs and forums. "They learn to brand themselves, and show that they're serious about the career they want; it's about employability," explains Reichwald.

"There's a well established base in the traditional redbrick universities [such as Oxford and Cambridge] but we're also looking to establish societies in the new universities," says Reichwald. He's also improving the service for corporate members by giving them better access to students. "More and more organisations are targeting individuals on campus," says Reichwald. "This gives corporate members the chance to differentiate themselves, develop a two-way communication process and target sector-specific students."

Membership is largely made up of corporate businesses, but Reichwald says a growing number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are seeking to recruit graduates. "The Bright Futures membership fee is not as high for SMEs," he says. "I'm all for creating a level playing-field for firms that are serious about bringing talented graduates into their business." Graduates now choose a company because it's "right" for them, he adds, not because it's big.

Reichwald says this sort of relationship between graduates and employers can only help to decrease the skills gap. "Corporates are engaging with universities, asking, 'what can I do to ensure graduates have the sort of leadership, networking and financial skills I need?' But the other most interested party is the students and they're taking control of their careers and personal development," he says.